Formal Film Study: Kvikmyndir frá Íslandi (Movies from Iceland)

Fljótur! Nefndu þrjú atriði frá Íslandi! Ef þú segir ís, land, og Björk, þá vel, þú ert rétt, en þú þarft að auka fjölbreytni þig nánar með þetta Norðurlandanna!

Quick! Name three things from Iceland! If you said ice, land, and Bjork, then, well, you're right, but you need to diversify yourself more thoroughly with this Nordic country!

Ísland er eitt af mest heillandi löndum sem ég hef rekist á. Innskot frá því að vera óvart ekki alveg þakið ís, er það einn af the menningar framsækið löndum í heiminum, með hátt hlutfall af ánægju, LGBT jafnrétti og lífskjör. Það sem meira er, þetta litla land virðist vera alveg höfnina fyrir skapandi einstaklinga, ekki síst tónlistarmenn eins Of Monsters and Men, Sigur Rós, og, auðvitað, Bjork.

Iceland is one of the most fascinating countries I've come across. Aside from being surprising not completely covered with ice, it is one of the most cultural progressive countries in the world, with high rates of satisfaction, LGBT equality, and standards of living. What's more, this tiny country seems to be quite the harbor for creative individuals, most notably musicians like Of Monsters and Men, Sigur Rós, and, of course, Bjork.

En frá því seint á 20. öld, þar virtist vera bylgja í kvikmyndahús á Íslandi eins og fleiri og fleiri fólk byrjaði að átta sig á að "Hey, þessi staður er reyndar mjög sniðugt að leita ... við skulum setja það til góðra nota!" Með þessi, tveir hlutir gerast við Ísland og tengsl hennar við kvikmyndaiðnaðinum. Einn, helstu vinnustofur byrjaði landslagið meira og meira til notkunar í "sannfærandi" sögulegum kvikmyndum, og tveir, upprennandi kvikmyndagerðarmenn á Íslandi sá einnig möguleika á landslagi og nota það til þeirra kostur eins og heilbrigður.

But since the late 20th century, there seemed to be a surge in cinema Iceland as more and more people began to realize that "Hey, this place is actually really neat looking...let's put it to good use!"With that, two things happened with Iceland and its relation with the film industry. One, major studios began using the landscape more and more for use in "convincing" historical movies; and two, aspiring filmmakers within Iceland also saw the potential of the landscape and used it to their advantage as well.

Með allt sem kom íslensku bíómyndir sem ég indulged mig inn þremur sem ég valdi sérstaklega voru allir sigurvegarar á bestu mynd á Eddu verðlaunin, sem jafngildir Íslands Academy Awards. (sem er annar hlutur sem þú hefðir sennilega ekki hugmynd enn til, ásamt með, þú kvikmyndir frá stórfurðulegur Ísland) gegnum þetta allt, ég setti það á mig á því hvers vegna hver og einn á skilið þessa virtu (?) verðlaun, sem og uppeldi framvegis sameiginlegir milli þriggja.

With all that came the Icelandic movies that I indulged myself in. The three that I chose specifically were all winners of Best Picture at the Edda Awards, Iceland's equivalent of the Academy Awards. (which is another thing that you probably had no idea existed until now, along with, you movies from freaking Iceland) Through it all, I put it upon myself as to why each one deserves this prestigious(?) award, as well as bringing forth similarities between the three.

(Also, I'm going to take a break from the Icelandic language for the study. I need to give Google Translate a break.)

Movie #1: Mýrin (Jar City)

Basic Plot Rundown:

So the movie follows an investigator that gets involved with a murder case. Turns out that this involves a rape case that happened in the 1970s. Meanwhile, we follow the story of a man who seems to be just recovering from losing his daughter to some illness. Through the story of both men, we watch this mystery unfold, unveiling new twits and turns as the plot dives deep into the heart of crime, family, and loss.

Why did it win?

What I found most interesting about this movie was that it was directed very similarly to that of David Fincher's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (albeit it was way, way, way less violent and disturbing). The director played with our sense of what was truly going on. Is tis guy telling the truth? Will this guy go ballistic and try to kill someone? Are watching the present or are we in a flashback? These questions are played around with ever so gracefully, and it was accented by the well-acted cast, the unsettling score, and the cinematography, a lot of which seemed to be emulated from Mr. Fincher, even though GWTT came out way later. All in all, the movie had a great mystery and it was very, very well made, almost better than the mystery thrillers that Hollywood pops out every year.

Movie #2: Eldfjall (Volcano)

Basic Plot Rundown:

An old man, former superintendent now fisherman, must come to terms with his cold demeanor and attempt to atone the relationship with with children. Amidst this, his wife suffers a terrible stroke, and he must take it upon himself to look after her well-being as well as his own.

Why did it win?

Did you cry at the end of Titanic?  What about Old Yeller? Schindler's List? Well, those movies got nothin' on the emotional destructive power that this movie emits. I'm being completely serious when I say that this is LITERALLY THE MOST DEPRESSING AND SAD MOVIE THAT I HAVE WITNESSED IN MY YOUNG ADULT LIFE. I mean, MY GOD. It's a very rare occurrence in which I will use all caps, but this movie warrants it.

Let me break it down: The first 5 minutes shows footage from the 1974 volcanic eruption that is destroying a small town; 10 minutes later we see the old guy almost commit suicide; 10 minutes after that we see his boat break down in the water; and 20 minutes after that we see his wife have a stroke. It's like they gave this movie all of those awards in fear of being lashed out for having cold, dead souls.

Well, all jokes aside (kind of) the movie was very well acted and beautifully shot, along with a subtly effective use of somber music and editing.

Movie #3: Djúpið (The Deep)

Basic Plot Rundown:

The film centers around an Icelandic fisherman by the name of Gulli. He and his crew are out in the ocean when their ship capsizes. With no means of rescue, as well as the rest of the crew dead from the cold, Gulli swims to shore in the freezing water. The movie recounts his entire ordeal from swimming to shore, walking back to his home, and shocking the world with his incredible story of survival. All of this is based on the true events that happened to Guðlaugur Friðþórsson.

Why did it win?

Out of all of the Icelandic movies that I saw, this one was my favorite. Not only is it because I'm a stickler for survival stories, but this one especially had that raw feel to it, much like the feeling in successful survival movies like Cast Away and The Way Back. What stood out from this movie was the seemingly contemporary methods of artistic cinematography that this movie employed. I'm talking about long takes in the water, looming long shots over the ocean, and a capsizing boat, all of which I would not expect from a movie made in a country that some people forget has people in it. Like the movies before, it was very well acted with a gorgeous sense of direction, and this movie had the best sense of pace, sound, and spatial awareness for both editing and cinematography.

Connecting Themes

Before I finish this off, I feel as though it is important to point out some things that each of the movies dabbed in to in one way of another.

Cinematography

Like I said before, Iceland is a really neat place to film movies, and if you don't believe me Google it right now and choose you next wallpaper. Anyway, it's fortunate for the Icelandic directors to have literally instant access to the scenery, and because of this knowledge everyone of these directors used full advantage of it. Sweeping landscapes, extreme long shots, and attention to nature where all commonplace items within each movie.

The Ocean

There is a very strong symbolic sense of symbolism with the ocean and Iceland. Partly due to the country being an island but it was mainly something else. The ocean represented something "bigger" to the characters, both in the literal sense and metaphorical sense. With Jar City, it was the weight of solving a murder that can only be solved by looking into the past. With Volcano, it was the constant internal struggle for the old man to balance his self-worth and his care for his ailing wife. With The Deep, it was Gulli's fight for survival against the ocean and nature itself. All of these were each character's "ocean," an object so big that they could've easily been swept up into and never have gotten out.

The Volcano

This had more symbolism in Volcano than the rest (go figure), but it was at least mentioned in both movies. It is my knowledge that this specific eruption (Eldfell 1974) had a very profound impact on the Icelandic people that they feel the need to share their experiences of how it affected them, and that is was very much the case for these movies.

Sad Stuff

I mean, really. Every movie made me sad at one point, and one had me in tears. Really. Every one.

Final Thoughts

Svo hvað á ég að hugsa um Ísland og kvikmyndir hennar? Jæja, ég verð að segja að ég er notalegur undrandi! Ég hef alltaf að norrænir menningu voru mjög flott, sérstaklega með öllum víkingum og slíkt, en ég gerði ekki ráð fyrir svo rík menning sköpunargáfu. Með þjóð sem er einangrað á frigid Atlantshafi, ekkert á óvart þessi hvöt til að gera sem mest úr sjálfum sér og tjá er alveg ríkjandi.

So what do I think of Iceland and its movies? Well, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised! I've always that Nordic cultures were really cool, especially with all of the vikings and such, but I did not expect such a rich culture of creativity. With a nation that's isolated in the frigid Atlantic, its no surprise that the urge to make the most of one's self and express creativity is quite prevalent.

Með þessi, ÉG gera virkilega hvetja þig til að fara út í langt nær heiminum (eða internetið) og upplifa íslensk bíómynd fyrir þig. Þú munt ekki sjá eftir því, og þú getur brag til vina þinna um það, líka! (Ég er ekki viss um hvað þú vilt fá, en þú veist, það er Ísland!)

With that, I really do encourage you to go out into the far reaches of the world (or the Internet) and experience an Icelandic movie for yourself. You won't regret it, and you can brag to your friends about it, too! (I'm not sure what you'd gain, but, you know, it's Iceland!)

Fond kveðjur,

~Grant Dunderman

December 2013

Film Studies Period 10